Alibaba, Baidu, More Tech Giants Fined by China for Failing to Report 43 Old Deals

The deals, however, did not have the effect of eliminating or restricting competition, the regulator said.

Advertisement
By Reuters | Updated: 20 November 2021 11:06 IST
Highlights
  • China has been tightening its grip on internet platforms
  • Earliest deal listed was a 2012 acquisition involving Baidu, a partner
  • Other deals cited include Alibaba’s acquisition of AutoNavi

Enterprises involved in the cases would be fined CNY 500,000 (roughly Rs. 58.15 lakhs)

China's market regulator on Saturday said it was fining companies including Alibaba, Baidu and JD.com for failing to declare 43 deals that date as far back as 2012 to authorities, saying that they violated anti-monopoly legislation.

Enterprises involved in the cases would be fined CNY 500,000 (roughly Rs. 58.15 lakhs) each, it said, the maximum under China's 2008 Anti-Monopoly Law.

Alibaba, Baidu, JD.com, and Geely did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Advertisement

China has been tightening its grip on internet platforms, reversing a once laissez-faire approach and citing the risk of abusing market power to stifle competition, misuse of consumers' data and violation of consumer rights.

The earliest deal listed was a 2012 acquisition involving Baidu and a partner, and the most recent was the 2021 agreement between Baidu and Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holdings to create a new-energy vehicle company.

Other deals cited by the State Administration of Market Supervision included Alibaba's 2014 acquisition of Chinese digital mapping and navigation firm AutoNavi and its 2018 purchase of a 44 percent stake in Ele.me to become the food delivery service's largest shareholder.

Advertisement

The deals, however, did not have the effect of eliminating or restricting competition, the regulator said.

In December last year, it fined Alibaba, Tencent-backed China Literature and Shenzhen Hive Box CNY 500,000 each for not reporting past deals properly for antitrust reviews, the first time it had ever done so.

Advertisement

© Thomson Reuters 2021


Can PUBG: New State rival BGMI and PUBG Mobile in the battle royale space? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
 

Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2026 hub.

Further reading: Alibaba, Baidu, JD, Geely, China Antitrust
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Here's How Much the Motorola Signature Could Cost in India
  2. OnePlus Says India Operations 'Normal' Amid Claims of Internal Collapse
  3. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra May Arrive in Six Colourways
  4. Here Are 5 Things You Should Know About Sony's New Deal With TCL
  5. Redmi Note 15 Pro Series Might Launch in India With These Storage Options
  6. Oppo Reno 15 FS 5G Launched With 6,500mAh Battery, Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC
  7. OpenAI's Age Prediction System to Detect Underage Users Is Rolling Out
  8. Samsung's Qi2 Power Bank for the Galaxy S26 Series Spotted in New Leak
  9. Top Deals on Canon, Sony, More Cameras in Amazon's Great Republic Day Sale
  10. Top Deals on Refrigerators During Amazon Great Republic Day Sale
  1. Oppo Reno 15 FS 5G Launched With 6,500mAh Battery, 80W Fast Charging and Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC
  2. Samsung Qi2 Power Bank for Galaxy S26 Series With 15W Wireless Charging Leaked Online
  3. Oppo Find X9 Ultra Design Spotted in Real-Life Images With Bigger Telephoto Kit
  4. OpenAI’s First Mystery AI Device Is Reportedly an Audio Headset, Not an AI Pen
  5. Motorola Signature Price in India Tipped Ahead of January 23 Launch in India: Expected Specifications
  6. Retta Thala Now Streaming on Prime Video: What You Need to Know About This Tamil Crime Thriller
  7. OpenAI’s Age Prediction System to Detect Underage ChatGPT Users Is Now Rolling Out
  8. Life Is Strange: Reunion Officially Announced, Launch Set for March 26
  9. Moto G67, Moto G77 Chipset, Memory and Camera Specifications Leaked, Could Launch Soon
  10. Redmi Turbo 5 Max Charging Details Revealed as Pre-Reservations Begin Ahead of China Launch
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.